Make the SOS decision
Default: With fewer than 3 active Survivors, recruit an eligible candidate only when that Survivor fills a job the current team is missing; otherwise choose Liberate.
Reason: Recruiting changes the active team, while Liberate keeps the current team and grants its separate reward.
Premise: A timed schedule is only an attempt window, the rescue must be placed successfully, and the panel can show fewer than 2 recruits when the eligible pool is small.
Cost: Reaching the signal and completing its 1-second interaction changes the movement route; a recruit also occupies one of the 3 active slots.
Alternative: Choose Liberate, configure SOS Auto-Selection, or use the Extermination full-team level grant when those branches match the current state.
Read the first and later SOS windows
Default, Endurance, Hardcore, Infinite, One hit, and Boss Rush use timed SOS attempts. The first attempt uses half of the mode’s regular interval. Every attempt then receives 40% timing variation.
| Mode | First attempt | Later attempts | Retry while rescue is active |
|---|---|---|---|
| Default | 51s to 119s | 102s to 238s | 35.7s to 83.3s |
| Endurance | 51s to 119s | 102s to 238s | 35.7s to 83.3s |
| Hardcore | 36s to 84s | 72s to 168s | 25.2s to 58.8s |
| One hit | 30s to 70s | 60s to 140s | 21s to 49s |
| Infinite | 51s to 119s | 102s to 238s | 35.7s to 83.3s |
| Boss Rush | 36s to 84s | 72s to 168s | 25.2s to 58.8s |
Each window includes the stored 40% timing variation. A valid map position still has to be found within 30 attempts.
These are attempt windows. Default and Endurance, for example, first try between 51 and 118.99999999999999 seconds. Later attempts use a 102 to 237.99999999999997 second window. Hardcore and Boss Rush use shorter 120-second base intervals, while One hit uses 100 seconds.
Understand why a signal can arrive late
An elapsed timer only starts an attempt. The world spawn code then tries up to 30 candidate positions. If the game cannot place a valid rescue during those attempts, a visible signal does not appear from that check.
An active rescue also changes the next retry to 0.35x the mode interval before the same timing variation is applied. This keeps the rescue already on the map separate from the next scheduled attempt.
The practical rule is simple: use the timing table to know when checks can occur, but do not treat the latest number as a promise that a signal must already be visible.
Complete the rescue interaction
- Activation distance
- 2
- Interaction time
- 1 second
- Position attempts
- 30
Stay within the activation distance for the full interaction time.
Move to the signal and remain close enough to complete the full 1-second rescue. The activation distance is 2. makes Signals instantaneous, along with the other interaction types named on the Item.
CrowbarRead the SOS choice slots
The SOS panel has 3 visible choice slots: up to 2 recruit candidates and one Liberate choice.
The recruit pool filters out active Survivors, unavailable Survivors, and duplicate candidates. If fewer than two eligible recruits remain, the panel can show fewer recruit choices while keeping Liberate as the alternative.
- Total slots
- 3
- Recruit choices
- 2
- Liberate choices
- 1
| Auto-Selection mode | Eligible recruits | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | 0 | Wait for player input |
| On | 0 | Liberate |
| Skip | 0 | Liberate |
| Off | 2 | Wait for player input |
| On | 2 | Random eligible recruit |
| Skip | 2 | Liberate |
Reroll uses the SOS choice history, Banish removes its candidate from the SOS pool, and Lockdown belongs to the SOS screen family.
Recruiting adds the chosen eligible Survivor to the active team. Liberate takes the reward path instead of adding that Survivor.
Use Reroll, Banish, and Lockdown
The SOS panel belongs to the same screen-action family as other choice panels, but it keeps its own candidate history.
- Reroll replaces the current recruit choices and records them in SOS history.
- Banish removes its selected candidate from the SOS pool.
- Lockdown keeps the selected SOS choice through the screen-family rule.
These controls change the candidate set. They do not change the signal timer or the rescue interaction.
Set SOS Auto-Selection
SOS Signals have their own Auto-Selection category. Its three modes produce different outcomes:
- Off waits for player input.
- On chooses a random eligible recruit when at least one exists. If none exists, it chooses Liberate.
- Skip chooses Liberate.
The setting does not create an extra recruit candidate. It decides what happens with the eligible choices already produced by the SOS panel.
Handle Extermination SOS waves
Extermination does not use the timed windows above. It checks a fixed set of waves.
With fewer than 3 active Survivors, the reward is an SOS selection. At a full squad of 3, the reward changes to a direct level-up.
On waves 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, a team below 3 active Survivors receives the SOS selection. A full team of 3 receives a direct level-up instead. That reward bypasses XP multipliers because it is a level grant rather than an XP grant.
Choose Liberate or recruit
Recruit when the offered Survivor fills a job the current team lacks. The leader and recruits guide gives a readable default leader and explains how to name that missing job before choosing.
Liberate is the reward choice when you do not want either recruit, when Auto-Selection has no eligible recruit, or when the SOS Auto-Selection mode is Skip.
- Default Liberate reward
- 1 level-up
- Hijacked Signal
- 2 level-ups
- Cash reward base
- 2,000
When the Cash reward path applies, 1.25x Team Money Modifier and 1.1x current money scaling produce 2,700 Cash. The calculation combines both scaling values before multiplying the 2,000 base and truncating.
Liberate normally grants 1 direct level-up. changes that reward to 2 level-ups. When makes SOS Signals grant Cash, the Cash path starts from a 2,000 base, combines current money scaling with Team Money Modifier, and truncates the result.
Hijacked Signal
Black BoxAccount for SOS Items
Several Items change either the response or its reward. Their official effects come directly from the generated Item records:
Suspicious PendriveWhen you open an Item Chest, react to Signals, or collect Samples, creates a huge explosion dealing at least 2000 Explosive type damage and pushing enemies back.
Ring Of PowerEach time you react to an SOS signal, you gain +10% Damage. This bonus caps at +40%.
Reserve BenchGain a level-up for each Skip on Military Training & Item Chests. Recruiting a Survivor provides one level-up for every 2 minutes that has passed since the last Survivor joined the team.
Every time you open an Item Chest, you receive a level-up. SOS Signals grant you Cash.
Every time you Liberate a Survivor, you gain two level-ups instead of one. Item Chests grant you Cash.
Opening Item Chests, responding to Signals, and collecting Samples is now instantaneous.
Read each trigger literally. Reacting to a Signal, recruiting a Survivor, and choosing Liberate are separate events. An Item tied to one of them does not automatically trigger on the other two.
FAQ
When does the first SOS signal appear?
It depends on the mode. Timed modes use the first-attempt window in the table. Extermination uses fixed waves instead. A timed attempt can still fail to place a valid rescue.
Why did I get only one recruit choice?
The panel has room for two recruit candidates, but it only uses eligible Survivors. Active, unavailable, and duplicate candidates are removed from the pool.
What does SOS Auto-Selection Skip do?
It chooses Liberate. Auto-Selection On chooses a random eligible recruit, or Liberate when no eligible recruit exists.
What happens when my Extermination squad is already full?
The fixed SOS wave grants a direct level-up instead of opening another SOS selection.
Does Crowbar make the signal arrive sooner?
No. Crowbar makes the response interaction instantaneous. It does not change the timed attempt windows or Extermination wave list.